Improved Management of Rutherglen bug in the Northern Region

Rutherglen bug (RGB) is a migratory native species that causes occasional but significant damage to the grains industry. Impacted grain crops include sunflower, sorghum, canola and safflower. In years of significant populations, pulses and cereals may also be infested. This investment will produce management guidelines for the pest RGB, by considering the impact of landscape scale drivers on pest persistence and movement. Laboratory and field ecology studies using novel genetic approaches will be used to validate existing population models and when combined with analysis of historical data sets, will help to understand why RGB is increasing in incidence and develop a risk framework to help guide on-farm decision making.